-LRB- EW.com -RRB- -- Distracted by the easy money of Halloween slasher films , Hollywood has long ignored the more fun-spirited side of the modern , billion-dollar Carnivalesque holiday .

But it 's the perfect setting for the brand of teen comedies that made John Hughes and Chris Columbus famous . That 's clearly the idea behind `` Fun Size , '' which tells the story of a smart and responsible high-school senior -LRB- Nickelodeon 's Victoria Justice -RRB- whose All Hallow 's Eve turns into a disastrous adventure in babysitting .

She wants to go to the cool dress-up party â $ '' her idea of a great costume is Ruth Bader Ginsberg â $ '' with her shallow bff -LRB- Jane Levy -RRB- . But when her pathetic widowed mother -LRB- Chelsea Handler -RRB- pawns her devilish little brother on her so she can party like a teenager herself , chaos and coincidences ensue . She loses the kid at a neighborhood haunted house and has to track him down him before mom gets home .

You 'd hope that `` Gossip Girl '' creator Josh Schwartz , directing for the first time , would have a better feel for such matter , but `` Fun Size '' blatantly and lazily traces mediocre versions of the genre . -LRB- Who wants to be a poor poor-man 's version of `` Ca n't Hardly Wait '' ? -RRB- There is no attempt to reinvent , and what might have been a half-decent homage is undermined by numbing comic failure .

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At least Levy delivers her lines with some snap , and even though she could play the snarky best friend in her sleep , she still has fun with it , which is greatly appreciated . Handler , on the other hand , looks literally pained , and fans of the talented comedian will wonder why she 's already taking thankless mom roles after films like Bridesmaids proved a market for brassy female-driven comedies .

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This movie has no courage and little brains , and is salvaged , if at all , only by its heart . There remains a huge market for a great Halloween teen comedy , but `` Fun Size '' is the disappointing apple that your crazy-haired neighbor gives you instead of candy . Feel free to dump this one in the bushes . D +

See the original article at EW.com .

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`` Fun Size '' is about a high school senior whose Halloween turns into an adventure in babysitting

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`` Fun Size '' blatantly and lazily traces mediocre versions of the genre

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Levy delivers her lines with some snap ; she could play the snarky best friend in her sleep